Telenor Reveals Password Habits of Indians on World Password Day

• 83.5% children aged between 6 to 18 years are active on social media

• Every second child uses “weak passwords” for their online accounts

• 54.8% children share their password with their near and dear ones

In our highly-connected lifestyle, passwords hold the key to any form of information access and acts as our digital identity.  A strong password is your first line of defense against intruders and imposters and if compromised it exposes an individual to vulnerabilities such as data theft, hacking and invasion of privacy. On World Password Day, Telenor India has disclosed the password habits, internet usage and access patterns of school going children in the country.

Telenor - World Password Day

Telenor India’s WebWise report indicates that a whopping 98.8% of children in urban areas are using internet and 54.6% of those surveyed use “weak passwords” i.e. passwords with only alphabets or numbers and which are less than 8 characters. Additionally, 54.82% children share their passwords with their friends, family or relatives, hence creating a threat to their digital security.

The WebWise survey was done in 13 cities and covered 2700 students. It also showed that 83.5% children between 6 to 18 years are active on social media and hence, are likely to have a higher threat perception. The study found that over 35% children have experienced their account being hacked while 15.74% shared that they have received inappropriate messages.

On the occasion, Sharad Mehrotra, Chief Executive Officer, Telenor India Communications said, “Though India is home to the second largest internet population in the world, majority of users, specially our children, are exposed to cyber threats due to weak and easy-to-guess passwords. At Telenor India through projects like WebWise we are empowering the digital society by spreading awareness among our next generation of digital natives on how to stay safe from cyber vulnerabilities while accessing the Internet. On the World Password Day, we should understand the significance of using strong passwords and secure our identity in this digital world.”

Post the WebWise workshops, 81.9% children said that they will reconsider to change their passwords and 84.26% children agreed that they will not share their passwords with anyone apart from their parents. Additionally, 72.26% of children said they will use a strong password which is a mix of alphabets, numbers, small & capital letters, symbols and special characters.

Telenor India had initiated WebWise workshops in 2014 amongst school children, teachers and parents. Through WebWise more than 55,000 individuals have been trained on safe internet practices. Telenor WebWise ambassadors conduct these workshops in schools where they run modules on internet safety and explain the importance of setting a strong password.

About us

Telenor (India) Communications is a mobile telecom operator offering most affordable and value for money prepaid voice and data services in India. It is a wholly owned company of the Norway-based Telenor Group. Telenor India has commercial operations in UP (West), UP (East), Bihar (including Jharkhand), Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana), Maharashtra (including Goa) and Gujarat. In the areas where it operates, Telenor is the fourth largest operator both in revenue and customer market share. Telenor has positioned itself as a ‘full paisa vasool’ operator and has over 53 million subscriptions from the six circles.

For more information, please visit www.telenor.in/about-us.

About World Password Day

World Password Day aims to educate and drive conversations about how to make our online accounts and activities more secure. The day aims to spread awareness that taking care with your passwords is vital to protecting yourself against identity theft.

To learn more, go to https://passwordday.org/